Yes, that's exactly right. When I was in first grade, Ultra Q and Ultraman started, so I grew up together with kaiju. At that time, I would get Marusan sofvi and plastic model kits, and play with them until they were completely worn out.

Ultra Q had a huge impact on me. Characters like Garamon and Peguila are deeply burned into my memory. Even during art class at school, I only drew kaiju.

When I became an elementary school student, there was a feeling that sofvi were toys for younger kids, so I became really into plastic models. The first one I got was Todora from Ultra Q. I really liked its fangs. I also had Ebirah, and the Spiegel from Captain Ultra. I had many of them.

But at that time, I played with them so much that they broke, so nothing is left now.

In real time, I only watched up to Return of Ultraman. After that, I became more interested in things like Antonio Inoki vs. Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee, so my focus shifted to those instead.

When I was over 20, Kaiyodo started releasing garage kits. I saw them in Hobby Japan magazine and was really shocked, thinking "This is amazing." I went to Kaiyodo's warehouse to buy them, and also bought many kits from Billiken Shokai.

At that time, garage kits were not as well-made as today. It was normal for the tips of teeth and claws to be missing because of air bubbles. They were almost like “raw materials.” I enjoyed fixing them myself by adding material, and that made me want to create my own.

I first joined Wonder Festival as a dealer in 2000, when I was 40 years old.

I think the clay called Sculpey suited me well. I made several pieces at once, like MireGoji (Millennium Godzilla), Baragon, Gyakugoji (Godzilla Raids Again), and Garamon, and brought them to the event. They sold very quickly, so I thought, “Maybe I can do this,” and it gave me confidence (laughs).

After that, for about 10 years, I continued working in the food business while doing kaiju garage kit sculpting as a side job.

Later, my restaurant work became very busy, and I stepped away from sculpting. I returned seriously during COVID, when I had more time off. Someone I knew asked me to make a sculpt, and that brought me back.

Around the time I restarted sculpting, I met a ceramic artist. When I said I wanted to make kaiju, they encouraged me. When I actually tried it, other ceramic artists found it interesting, so I started doing it more seriously.

Yes, clay and ceramic clay are very different. Ceramic clay shrinks and can crack when fired, and if it’s not hollow inside, it can explode. So I build it up layer by layer, like making a pot, to create a kaiju.

Also, unlike Sculpey, the material can bend under its own weight while working. I find that interesting, and I try to use that effect in the sculpt.

About three years ago, I met Yoshimizu, the producer, through someone from Daimaru department store in Osaka. He asked me, "Would you like to create sofvi prototypes?"

I had always admired retro sofvi from Marusan and Bullmark, but I thought my realistic style was not a good match for that kind of work. However, when I saw the designs, I felt they were very good. Especially since the first characters were ones I liked, like Devilman and Godzilla, I immediately wanted to do it and accepted right away.

Basically, I make more than two pieces per month. In the past, I made about 60 garage kit sculpts in total, but with ENKA, I have already made over 70 pieces in just the past two years. I think I will reach 100 next year.

I really enjoy it because I can work on designs that I have never done before, like Biollante or SpaceGodzilla. Also, many Showa-era characters that I like are coming out one after another. Dante was actually my favorite character, so I was very happy to be able to create it.

Basically, ENKA handles the overall form and general design, and I am entrusted with the finer details.

About two years ago, I presented a ceramic Godzilla at a solo exhibition at Daimaru. I used that image as a base and changed it into a more sofvi-style form for this piece.

Compared to the regular ENKA VINYL line, this sculpt shows more of my personal style.

What I focused on most was the surface detail. When you think of Heisei Godzilla, you think of this rough, rugged texture. I also added the dripping effect that is unique to ceramics, where the material looks like it flows downward.

Since I didn’t come from a sofvi background, I tend to add more and more realistic details. ENKA helps control the form to keep it closer to sofvi style, reducing some of that detail. So we are always balancing between adding and subtracting to find the right level.

When this Godzilla is made with double mold, it can look even more realistic than a real-style garage kit, or even more glossy and sensual. So we use paint to slightly tone it down and balance it.

Usually, dorsal fins are separate parts. I pushed the size to the limit of what could still be molded in one piece. There are not many examples of fins this large being made as one piece.

It is based on a ceramic King Ghidorah, but I built each scale one by one using a spatula. There were probably around 5,000 to 6,000 scales (laughs).

It takes about five times longer than usual, but I really enjoy this kind of work.

In the future, I would like to create Garamon and also gorilla-type characters that I have liked since I was a child in this series.

This is my ideal life. A long time ago, when I was struggling with my business, someone told me, "In the future, Godzilla will help you, so keep making." At that time, I wasn't sure if it was true, but it really turned out that way. Now, Godzilla is supporting me.

Right now is my best time. I stopped sculpting for a while and then came back, so I feel fresh when I work. Honestly, I feel like my peak is still ahead of me.

As long as my hands can move, I want to keep creating. My father and grandfather both kept working until the end of their lives, so my goal is to continue at this pace at least until I am 77.

These days, I spend at least 7 to 8 hours a day working with clay. Every day is exciting, whether I am discovering new characters or creating original works with a strong personal style.